The subject matter of this application is related to the subject matter U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/303,056, filed Apr. 30, 1999, pending.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user interfaces for computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for viewing a collection of objects on a display that allows a user to xe2x80x9czoomxe2x80x9d on non-positional display attributes of the objects.
2. Related Art
In analyzing a large set of multi-dimensional data, it is often useful to output the data to a graphical display so that the data can be more easily visualized. More information can be conveyed in the graphical display if certain parameters of the data are represented by non-positional display attributes, such as color or size.
For example, in order to represent a set of data wherein each data point has four different dimensions, the first dimension and the second dimension of a data point can be represented by a horizontal and a vertical location of the data point on a display. The third dimension can be represented by the color of the data point on the display. Finally, the fourth dimension can be represented by the size of the data point on the display. In this way, four different dimensions can be represented for each data point on a two-dimensional display.
In using a non-positional display attribute, such as brightness, to display a data value, it is advantageous to provide a wide range of brightness values to represent a corresponding range of data values. For example, rather than representing a data point using only a single brightness value, the brightness of the data point can be varied from dim to bright through intermediate brightness values (eg, 10%, 50%, 90%) in order to represent a wide range of possible data values.
In some cases, it is useful to be able to selectively amplify or highlight subtle differences in non-positional display attributes in order to more carefully examine a specific range of corresponding data values. This is analogous to spatial zooming in which a user can xe2x80x9czoomxe2x80x9d into a particular spatial region of a graphical display in order to more carefully examine minute differences in the spatial arrangement of displayed objects, except that the minute differences are represented through non-positional display attributes rather than through a spatial location.
What is needed is a method and an apparatus that allows a user to zoom on non-positional display attributes.
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for viewing plurality of objects on a display that allows a user to zoom on a non-positional display attribute of the plurality of objects. The system operates by receiving a value for a mapped attribute for an object as well as a value for a zooming parameter for the non-positional display attribute. The system maps the mapped attribute to the non-positional display attribute for the object by computing a function of the value of the mapped attribute and the zooming parameter to produce a value for the non-positional display attribute. If the value for the zooming parameter changes in a first direction, the function maps a narrower range of mapped attribute values to prominent display attribute values. If the value for the zooming parameter changes in a second direction, the function maps a wider range of mapped attribute values to prominent display attribute values. Next, the system outputs the object to the display using the non-positional display attribute.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the value for the zooming parameter is received from the user through a data input device, so that the user can adjust the zooming parameter. This allows the user to narrow or widen a range of mapped attributes that are displayed with prominent display attribute values.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-positional display attribute can include, a fadedness of the object against a background, a transparency of the object, a size of the object on the display, a color of the object, a blink rate of the object, a jiggle rate of the object, a drawing order of the object relative to other objects, a line thickness of the object, a contrast of the object, a spatial frequency of a pattern for the object, a halo parameter for the object, an animation rate for the object, an offset of a drop shadow for the object, a response sensitivity to user input of the object, a binocular depth of an object and a loudness of an object (if the object has an associated sound).
In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-positional display attribute is fadedness. In this embodiment, a display attribute value that results in the object being more faded in the display is less prominent. Conversely, a display attribute value that results in the object being less faded in the display is more prominent. Note that the term xe2x80x9cprominencexe2x80x9d is a measure of how noticeable an object is on the display relative to other objects. For example, objects that appear brighter or larger are generally more prominent that objects that appear dimmer or smaller.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-positional display attribute has more than two possible values.
One embodiment of the present invention additionally allows the user to scroll on the non-positional display attribute of the object. This embodiment operates by using a difference between the value of the mapped attribute for the object and a scrolling reference value received from the user in computing the function to produce non-positional display attribute for the object. In this way, as the user changes the scrolling reference value, different ranges of mapped attribute values are mapped to prominent display attribute values.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the steps of, receiving the value for the mapped attribute, mapping the mapped attribute, and displaying the object are repeated for the plurality of objects.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the value of the non-positional display attribute for the object attains has a high prominence value for intermediate display attribute values. As the value of the mapped attribute grows larger than the intermediate display attribute values, the prominence of the non-positional display attribute decreases. Similarly, as the value of the mapped attribute becomes smaller than the intermediate display attribute values, the prominence of the non-positional display attribute decreases.